Psst! Gossip is good for us

DON’T keep it to yourself, gossip is a force for good, say researchers.

Gossiping can be a good thing according to researchers/posed by models []

Talking about people who cheat or fail to pull their weight lets society isolate those not playing by the rules.

That’s just as well because gossip accounts for 65 to 90 per cent of every­day conversation, the study found.

Lead author Dr Bianca Beersma said: “Gossip may not always be as negative as one might believe at first.

“It allows people to gather and validate information and to protect their group against norm violations.”

The authors, whose findings are published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, said that when our ancestors formed groups to hunt and share food, they would warn each other about those who benefited without pulling their weight.

The study at Amsterdam university found that people were more likely to talk about freeloaders to colleagues than friends.

Gossip may not always be as negative as one might believe at first

Lead author Dr Bianca Beersma

It also found that the primary motive for gossiping was gathering and checking information.